Apple will be keeping TikTok in the App Store for at least the next 75 days. According to Bloomberg, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent the tech giant a letter on April 5. The letter reportedly urged Apple to follow the President’s latest executive order, which halts the enforcement of the TikTok ban for another 75 days.
Earlier this year, Apple and other app stores were reluctant to follow Donald Trump’s first executive order. This is because the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act stipulates that, starting on January 19, app stores can face fines for hosting TikTok.
The Verge reported that these fines worked out to $5,000 per person using their services. Per the outlet, the Government also told the Supreme Court that these fines could be enforced for up to five years. So, it’s fair to say that the App Store wanted to play it safe.
Google Play and other app stores followed suit, leaving users with no way of downloading TikTok. This led to users trying to “sideload” the app by downloading it from a third-party source. The final straw came when TikTok itself promoted sideloading by making the app available to download in February. At that point, Bondi sent a letter to Apple and other app stores confirming that they wouldn’t get penalized for hosting TikTok.
Clearly, the Trump administration is worried that Apple might be getting cold feet again. But judging by the fact that the app is still available, I think we can safely say it’s here to stay. However, it appears the issue will continue to be kicked down the road for the time being.
